Tuesday 24 February 2015
Records on Repeat
The Weather Station - Way it is, Way it could be
https://soundcloud.com/paradise-of-bachelors/01-way-it-is-way-it-could-be
Gentle & folky, perfect listening for a Sunday morning.
Hot Chip - Hurache Lights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S0ONyRctyE#t=46
Hot Chip are back and this makes for the perfect dance disco track.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love
https://soundcloud.com/jagjaguwar/unknown-mortal-orchestra-multi-love/
Sounds like a remix, but an amazing one. Sweet keys and funky drums.
Monday 23 February 2015
Gig Review: The War on Drugs - Albert Hall, Manchester - 19th February 2015.
I turned the rock n' roll age of 27 this week, and what better way to see in the start of your birthday celebrations than with a gig?! I also love the Albert Hall in Manchester it is definitely one of the best gig venues about - the converted Chapel Hall is grand with it's lovely stained glass windows and high ceilings, it really does need to be experienced to be appreciated fully.
The first song I heard from The War on Drugs I didn't really like, I listened to the first minute and dismissed it as boring, but then a few weeks later I decided I probably hadn't given them enough chance - they do sound like a mixture of Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits and Future Islands with a sprinkling of Bob Dylan here and there, but that definitely doesn't make them boring. I admit my initial quick judgment was wrong.
The band are from Philadelphia and have been releasing albums since 2008, however, it was only at the beginning of 2014 when I first discovered their music just after the band released their most recent album 'Lost in the Dream'.
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At the Albert Hall it was packed out - for the 2nd night in a row - two sell out gigs back to back in Manchester for our American friends and unsurprisingly so, the performance was stunning. To look at the crowd you may think the fans were unenthusiastic when really most people were almost frozen to the spot in awe of the music being performed for them.
Songs like 'Suffering' and 'Eyes to the wind' were particularly beautiful, but the more uptempo songs like 'Red Eyes' did get everyone going - specifically a guy next to me who definitely had some of the best 'embarrassing uncle at a wedding' dance moves I have seen in a very long time. It was great though to see people of all ages appreciating music together - this band would please the dads, the middle aged and the youngsters who are only just dipping their toes into the indie-rock world.
Please give them a listen, and make sure you give them more than a minute of your time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE9ElyZjZDo
The first song I heard from The War on Drugs I didn't really like, I listened to the first minute and dismissed it as boring, but then a few weeks later I decided I probably hadn't given them enough chance - they do sound like a mixture of Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits and Future Islands with a sprinkling of Bob Dylan here and there, but that definitely doesn't make them boring. I admit my initial quick judgment was wrong.
The band are from Philadelphia and have been releasing albums since 2008, however, it was only at the beginning of 2014 when I first discovered their music just after the band released their most recent album 'Lost in the Dream'.
At the Albert Hall it was packed out - for the 2nd night in a row - two sell out gigs back to back in Manchester for our American friends and unsurprisingly so, the performance was stunning. To look at the crowd you may think the fans were unenthusiastic when really most people were almost frozen to the spot in awe of the music being performed for them.
Songs like 'Suffering' and 'Eyes to the wind' were particularly beautiful, but the more uptempo songs like 'Red Eyes' did get everyone going - specifically a guy next to me who definitely had some of the best 'embarrassing uncle at a wedding' dance moves I have seen in a very long time. It was great though to see people of all ages appreciating music together - this band would please the dads, the middle aged and the youngsters who are only just dipping their toes into the indie-rock world.
Please give them a listen, and make sure you give them more than a minute of your time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE9ElyZjZDo
Wednesday 11 February 2015
Gig Review: Elbow, Manchester Apollo, 6th February 2015
Elbow - I feel like they've been around forever, not like that annoying cold you can't shake off, but more like that warm cosy jumper you have worn every winter for the past 10 years. When I hear their music, when I hear Guy Garvey's voice, I feel that comfort and contentment.
This gig would be the 4th time I'd seen Elbow live, the first time was at my first ever festival, I was a keen 16 year old then and spent a solid 4 hours at the front of the stage, unable to drink in case I needed a wee and had to give up my prime spot! Now a little less dedicated to being a front rower at gigs, I'm happy as long as I've got a decent viewing spot and am not being dry humped by the person squeezed in behind me.
Six albums in and their talent shows no signs of fading, their sound is distinct - Garvey's vocals instantly recognisable on any song and some of their anthems make for some of the best British records of the past decade: 'A Day Like This', 'Grounds for Divorce', 'Lippy Kids' but a few to mention, these 3 unsurprisingly made it into their set at the Apollo. The Apollo in Manchester is a brilliant venue - the sloped floor a dream for anyone under 6ft as most of the time it means you can still see the stage - and the place is big enough to feel like you're part of something and small enough that you don't feel lost.
So despite this, having seen Elbow a few times before, this was my first time in Manchester - there's always something a bit special about seeing a band in their hometown, you can feel the shared pride between the band and the audience - a mutual understanding of what the city means to them. And you could certainly feel that in the atmosphere as Elbow took to the stage on Friday 6th February in Manchester.
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Guy Garvey loved us and we loved him - every song they played sounded amazing and felt amazing to witness, the only odd choice was part of their encore - 'Birds', which in my opinion isn't the greatest track, so probably could have been scrapped from the set, but that slight grumble aside, finishing on 'My Sad Captains' (arguably their best song to date) from their latest studio album was just right.
Garvey's humour and wit added to the shows charm - he joked about being reviewed in the MEN for the performance the night before and the writer describing him as a sociology teacher, he shouted "I'm too fucking mad and bad to be a teacher" we lapped it up, laughing along, putty in the palm of this sociology teacher's hands.
Highlights for me, as well as the obvious big hitters, were 'The Bones of You' and 'Switching Off' - two gorgeous songs. They've got the British melancholy spot on, in the instruments, in the vocals and the lyrics are a poetry that entwines eloquence with street talk - there could be wording about the beauty of the world and getting pissed up in Salford all at once and somehow it works and it will continue to work, because the music is great and the fans are dedicated, especially the Northerners (of which I am an now an honorary one).
Switching Off - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxOWVmcZ2Y4 x
This gig would be the 4th time I'd seen Elbow live, the first time was at my first ever festival, I was a keen 16 year old then and spent a solid 4 hours at the front of the stage, unable to drink in case I needed a wee and had to give up my prime spot! Now a little less dedicated to being a front rower at gigs, I'm happy as long as I've got a decent viewing spot and am not being dry humped by the person squeezed in behind me.
Six albums in and their talent shows no signs of fading, their sound is distinct - Garvey's vocals instantly recognisable on any song and some of their anthems make for some of the best British records of the past decade: 'A Day Like This', 'Grounds for Divorce', 'Lippy Kids' but a few to mention, these 3 unsurprisingly made it into their set at the Apollo. The Apollo in Manchester is a brilliant venue - the sloped floor a dream for anyone under 6ft as most of the time it means you can still see the stage - and the place is big enough to feel like you're part of something and small enough that you don't feel lost.
So despite this, having seen Elbow a few times before, this was my first time in Manchester - there's always something a bit special about seeing a band in their hometown, you can feel the shared pride between the band and the audience - a mutual understanding of what the city means to them. And you could certainly feel that in the atmosphere as Elbow took to the stage on Friday 6th February in Manchester.
Guy Garvey loved us and we loved him - every song they played sounded amazing and felt amazing to witness, the only odd choice was part of their encore - 'Birds', which in my opinion isn't the greatest track, so probably could have been scrapped from the set, but that slight grumble aside, finishing on 'My Sad Captains' (arguably their best song to date) from their latest studio album was just right.
Garvey's humour and wit added to the shows charm - he joked about being reviewed in the MEN for the performance the night before and the writer describing him as a sociology teacher, he shouted "I'm too fucking mad and bad to be a teacher" we lapped it up, laughing along, putty in the palm of this sociology teacher's hands.
Highlights for me, as well as the obvious big hitters, were 'The Bones of You' and 'Switching Off' - two gorgeous songs. They've got the British melancholy spot on, in the instruments, in the vocals and the lyrics are a poetry that entwines eloquence with street talk - there could be wording about the beauty of the world and getting pissed up in Salford all at once and somehow it works and it will continue to work, because the music is great and the fans are dedicated, especially the Northerners (of which I am an now an honorary one).
Switching Off - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxOWVmcZ2Y4 x
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